


There's A War Between Us

by simplykayley



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Iron Man - Fandom, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bucky Barnes - Freeform, F/M, Italian!tony, Italy, Lovers, M/M, Teen!Tony, WW2, World War II, no serum, soldier!bucky, tony stark - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-29
Updated: 2016-07-04
Packaged: 2018-05-23 20:45:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6129538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simplykayley/pseuds/simplykayley
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anthony Stark is a ambitious 16-year-old living in a small village in Italy in the height of World War 2. Bored with the tedious job of helping his father with his store, he meets American soldier, Bucky Barnes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Español available: [There's A War Between Us](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6513181) by [queenhayleyatwell](https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenhayleyatwell/pseuds/queenhayleyatwell)



Anthony Edward Stark was somewhat of a disappointment to his father. 

He cared little for the small store his  father owned and put his life and everything he had ever worked for into and cared even less to run it when he came of age. He much rather liked building things in there small apartment over the store, he liked to read and learn as many English words as he could so that when he one day made it to America, he would not speak in his broken english, drowned in a heavy Italian accent, nothing about him would be broken when he got to America. 

He didn't show any interest in finding a wife, or even looking at girls, even though he had barely just turned 16 before Italy had declared war on the country of Germany. 

He liked calculating numbers for his father, and learning new English words so he could talk to the American soldiers that came in daily, and he liked building new, more useful things from old items he found, but one thing Anthony Stark did not want to do was run a dingy, little store in a small, war stricken village in Italy until he died.

Howard Stark was always telling Anthony how he could be like his cousins that were seemingly perfect in his father's eyes, but liked to soak up attention like the sponges they were. He would tisk at him every time he saw Anthony doing something he believed was a waste of time and send him up to his mattress covered by a sheet on the wall in their apartment that had only one bedroom, which his parents shared together, reminding him how he could be more like Davide or Abele. They had both been trying to enlist for the army since they had gotten the news that Italy had gotten involved, spouting something about how they needed to protect their homeland, which Anthony thought sounded like complete crap. There was thousands of Italians protected Italy, along with thousands of other different forces, what difference was two boys?

Anthony found pleasure in sitting with his mother, Maria, next to one of the only windows in their whole house, feeling the warm sun bathe his skin as his mother ran her fingers through his dark hair and he leaned into it.

His mother was a beautiful woman, and had been a even more beautiful woman before she had, had Anthony. Her dark hair was always braided down her dark, and her dresses were always beautiful colors from fabrics that woman never bought in the store, but they always somehow managed to fit his mother. She always whispered to him in their native tongue and never treated him differently like his father, never telling him to change himself. 

×××

The bell above the front door of the store rang and Anthony looked up from his paperback book for a minute to see a single American soldier stumble in on graceless feet. 

He laid the book down with a smile and waited for the soldier to stand in front of him. 

He looked taller than Anthony and older too, his hair was a dark color and his eyes were the color of the ocean that Anthony saw in the summer, his skin was tan from being in the Italian sun all day and he was all around handsome. 

Cosa posso fare per te? [What can I do for you?] He asked, laying his elbows on the counter and resting his chin in his palms to look at the soldier that had the last name BARNES on his tag. 

The man blinked for a minute at him and Anthony understood with a laugh. The man knew no Italian. 

He thought for a minute, trying to bring the English words to the top of his head. "What may me, do for...tu." He said, not remembering the last word and the soldier smiles in relief. 

"Thank you, but I just wanted to know if you sold any buttons." He said slowly, moving his hands in odd gestures that made Anthony smile as he translated his sentence. Anthony grabbed a basket of plain black buttons from under the table and slid them towards the man. 

"Qui sei tua buttons, sir." [Here are your buttons, sir.] He grinned and the soldier waved him off. 

"Please, I'm only 19, being called sir makes me feel old." 

Anthony laughed at the soldiers voice and smiled. 

" Sì, then what must I call you, Mr , Soldato" [Yes] [Mr, Soldier] He smiled playfully, leaning forward. 

The soldier careful placed 3 buttons in front of him. "If you must know my name, you can call me Bucky, all my friends call me that.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anthony meets Bucky again.

One of the only good things about the war was that now most bars on his side of town didn't even care that they were selling alcoholic beverages to a young teenager. His drink tasted bitter on his tongue but ignored it as he took sips and let his eyes pass over the English written book.

 He had been lucky enough to find a stash of books that had been thrown out in fear before the allied forces had come to protect them. There was titles in French that he used to touch up on his French whenever he couldn't find anything to do, and there was only a few in his mother's tongue, but the ones in English were the ones that he paid most attention too.

 He kept them hidden in the bottom drawer of his dresser, where he knew that no one ever looked. If his father ever found out about them then he would surely make Anthony throw them out himself or burn them just to make Anthony angry.

 He huffed silently and continued to look at his book, until the door to the bar banged open, of course.

 The bartender cursed at the 3 soldiers in Italian, which they obviously didn't understand and Anthony watched in amusement as they all tried to hold in their laughter, apologizing for their roudiness. 

They started to walk towards a table and that's when Anthony recognized one of them, the American soldier that had come into the store before. Bucky Barnes. Just at that moment too, he turned his head and met Anthony's eyes. 

Anthony let his eyes drop instantly at the contact and knew that hiss cheeks must be a horrible pink color by now. He cursed himself silently as he heard a laugh behind him. 

He didn't turn around for about 10 minutes, keeping his eyes trained on the book even though he could feel the soldiers, Bucky's, gaze on his back, a heavy but comfortable weight. 

The bartender came to him a few minutes later and held out another drink to him and he stared at it in confusion. " _I did not order another._ " He told the man in Italian, having no way to pay him.

He shook his head. " _The dark haired soldier back there told me to give you another."_ He said and left Anthony with a wink. Anthony turned his head finally and looked over his shoulder at the soldier who sat alone, his friends departure going unnoticed by Anthony. His dark blue eyes ran down Anthony and he let a shiver run down his body before he turned and downed his drink in one gulp, hoping that the liquid gave him enough courage to talk to the older soldier. 

He swung his legs to the ground and jumped off the stool, he walked towards the smiling soldier in long strides. Bucky got out of the single seat silently, letting Anthony sit down wordless, and he dragged a chair from the table a foot away to swing his legs over it and sit down. 

"Me have no way to pagare you back." [pay] He confessed and Bucky let out a loud laugh. 

"You don't have to pay me back, that's the point of buying someone a drink, kid." He smiled, and took a sip of his own drink. 

Anthony seemed to think about it for a minute. "Oh." He breathed. "Grazie." [Thank you]

Bucky smile at him. "Someone really needs to teach you how to tell when someone's flirting with you." 

Anthony grinned at him. "So you were...what do you call it.. flirtare with me?" Bucky threw his head back and laughed.

"Finally, you are getting the hang of it!" 

Anthony grinned. "You don't sapere nemmeno who I am." (even know.) 

Bucky pointed a finger at him. "That's why I was curious, kid." 

"Well, I am Anthony Stark. I believe we have met." Anthony smiled at him. 

Bucky laughed at his joke. "Can I nickname you Tony?" He asked seriously and Anthony raised his eyebrows. Would they be seeing each other again? He wouldn't mind that. 

"Sì Bucky." He said without another thought. He stared at the soldiers features for a minute, they reminded him of everything that America offered him, and everything he couldn't get in Italy. He loved it. 

"So, how old are you? Your practically a child!" He exclaimed, wanting to excite the Italian teenager. 

"I'm not a children." He snapped, making Bucky laugh at his bad English.

"Uno, due,tre." He started but stopped as he started to forget the English numbers he had tried to remember and just said in a dull tone. "Sedici." 

"See! Child! You can't even enlist yet!" 

Tony scoffed at the idea. "Me don't want to arruolare, what a idiot thing to do." [Enlist] He grumbled and Bucky laughed at him. 

"I think you may be the most interesting person I've met well being here in Italy, Tony. And that's saying something." 

Tony beamed at him, before glancing down at his watch at jumping up suddenly. "I must go, I have to work." He glanced at Bucky apologetically. 

It is fine." He waved him off and began to stan d with him. "I understand." 

Tony began to walk to the door to leave but Bucky's grip on his arm stopped him and he turned to look at him. 

"I hope to see you again, Tony." 

Tony smiled up at him. "I hope to see you soon well." He spoke the clear sentence then was out the door into the night. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The relationship between Bucky and Tony begins to get heated.

Anthony , vai aprire il negozio sciocco! Non ti ho detto questo prima dopo pranzo! [Anthony, go open the store, you fool! Did I not tell you this earlier after lunch!] His father yelled at him the next morning and Tony couldn't help the small groan that escaped his lips as he lifted himself from him mattress, laying his book down. 

" Sì , padre." [yes, father] He yelled, already padding down the stairs, trying to wrestle his shirt over his head. 

The setting sun made him squint his eyes and he rubbed the back of his hands over his tired eyes before yawning and shaking his head. 

He went to the door and flipped the open sign over, and barely noticed the note wedged in the screen door. 

He frowned, opening the door softly so that his father wouldn't hear him and come down. He slowly unfolded the yellowed paper as he walked to the counter. Messy cursive had scribbled a note on it.

A.S.   
Meet me in front of the bar, tonight, and maybe we can talk some more.   
Bucky Barnes 

Tony slowly let a smile on his face and held the note close to his chest, feeling his cheeks heat up to a red color, he made sure that neither his mother or father came down the stairs to see him clutching a note from a boy they didn't even know that wanted him to come meet privately. They would surely kill him then find a way to kill Bucky. 

He looked outside at the setting sun and took off up the stairs, almost letting out a shout of happiness, but to afraid to draw the attention of his father. 

He threw open the curtain that hid his small space and pulled on his best clothing before running one hand through his messy curls that he couldn't tame and deemed himself ready. 

He threw open his curtain, and came face to face with his mother, the last person he expected to run into. 

"Mamma , mi ha sorpreso !" [Mama, you surprised me!] He cried out, clutching his chest. 

"Where are you off to in a hurry, son of mine?" She questioned, tilting her head to the side and his face heated up instantly, giving himself away almost immediately, but she was to kind to say anything to him about it.  

"You have divertimento [fun], Anthony." She grinned at him and softly patted his shoulder, then she was gone into the kitchen. 

He sighed in relief that his mother had not tried to stop him and was off down the stairs and into the fading light before his father could even think to look for him. 

××× 

The bar was only a few blocks away from Anthony's house but by the time he had ran there, he was already panting and out of breath.

Instead of walking in the bar, he took the alley he knew would take him behind. 

Bucky was leaning up against the wall and had a cigarette hanging from his lips as he waited. He looked like he had come to meet Anthony straight after his patrols, his uniform jacket over his shoulder. 

"Your are presto." [Early.] Tony complained and Bucky cracked a smile at him. 

"Yeah, well." He said and pushed the package of cigarettes at Tony. "You want one, or are you still to young to smoke?" 

Tony scoffed at him and took a smoke and lighter from him, lighting it between his teeth and taking a drag, blowing the smoke in a small ring, smiling at him. "Do child of American not smoke, like the child of Italia, very debole." He chuckled and it was Bucky's turn to scoff at him. 

"I was wondering if you would like to take a walk." He said, shrugging the jacket back on and turning towards Tony. 

"Of course, Bucky." He said, and they began to walk down the dimly lit sidewalks. 

"You must tell me something about you." Tony spoke up, and Bucky looked over at him. "I know very little about you." He said, matter of fact.

Bucky laughed softly, and bumped into his side. "You don't know anything about me, I barely even know you." 

You know most everything interes [interesting] about me." Tony shrugged, kicking the rocks under his feet. 

"No, no, no." Bucky said, shaking his head wildly so that his dark hair flies in his face, making Tony laugh. "There is so much more to you than what you have told me, you just won't tell me." He grinned, and bumped their hips lightly. Tony could feel a light blush on his cheeks, and a distant voice in the back of his head was whispering to him that he was actually flirting with a real life human. 

"Well, you know that my name is Anthony Stark." He whispered softly, looking down at his shoes, he could feel the blush on his cheeks. 

"I hate the work that I must do in my father's shop, hate it very much. I want to go to America one day and build many things, there I will be famous for my inventions and not for owning a old shop." He wrinkled his nose cutely and Bucky laughs. 

"You think very highly of America, it's really not all that fun, kid." He said smugly and Tony waved his hands dramatically at him. 

"Yes, yes, but you have lived there many years and I have lived here, you must understand." He exclaimed, motioning around towards the dirty alleyways and street ways that no one had bothered to pick up after the air raids that occurred most nights during the week. 

Bucky laughed at him and Tony stared down at the rough ground. 

"Do you have a ragazza waiting for you back at your home?" Tony asked softly, feeling his cheeks turn a deep red at the personal question. 

Bucky didn't answer for a minute, and Tony was about to apologize when he finally spoke. "Not really, just my best friend, Steve, I was never really one for the girls anyway." He answered, his accent coming off as thick as he spoke. 

Tony frowned and stopped for a minute to try and understand his words. " I do not understand what you are telling me, how-" He began to ask but stopped all movement when he felt Bucky's lips on his.

He slowly pushed his hands through Bucky's dark hair and his hands laid on Tony's waist and then his lips were gone way sooner than Tony wanted and he was walking down the sidewalk again, leaving a blushing and flustered Tony behind him. 

"That's what I meant, kid." He called back and Tony ran ahead to catch up with him as he directed them towards his home and Bucky quietly took him home for the night. 

"I will see you soon?" Bucky whispered in the dark of the night, trying to be quiet so that Tony's parents wouldn't hear any noise. 

Tony stopped at the door and looked over his shoulder with a smile and nodded softly. 

"Very soon."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the kissed sucked! I'm so sorry, but I knew you all must be ready to kill me for a new chapter, so I wrote the kiss fast, but I promise that the next Kiss scene will be amazing. ;) Hoped you guys liked it anyway.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Bucky finally have a moment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter under my belt, phewww!

Tony was ecstatic the next day, he cared little about the dark bags under his eyes from little to no sleep the night before, but when he thought about who he had been out with, anything that wasn't happiness fled his body. 

He swept the floor of the shop with a small smile on his face, concentrating on the fuzzy sound from the cheap radio on the counter instead of his father's bickering coming from upstairs in their apartment. 

The small bell at the top of the door dinged, indicating a customer.

"Come posso lui-) [How may I hel-] He began, swinging around to face the customer. 

"Bucky!" He yelped in surprise and felt his cheeks warm up at the grin that grew on his face. 

"I thought you would be more happy to see me, doll." He drawled and leaned himself up against the counter, fluttering his eyelashes. 

Quick Italian words came from his mouth without his consent and when he saw Bucky's raised eyebrow, he stopped and slowed down. 

"I am happy to see you, but you will not like it if my padre [father] comes and sees me speaking to a soldato [soldier]." He muttered, and Bucky grinned at him. 

"Please, I've taken on Nazis, I can take your father." He scoffed and Tony rolled his eyes. 

"Maybe, but you have not meet my padre when he is angry." Tony muttered under his breath.

"And here I thought you were a risk taker, Anthony Stark." He threw a arm around his shoulder and Anthony didn't think his cheeks could get any redder as he thought about how Bucky's lips tasted. 

"I am risk taker." He muttered, not fully understand the word, as he ducked under Bucky's tan arm. 

"What is it that you need, soldato?" Tony asked, walking around to stand on the opposite side of the counter, across from Bucky. 

" I would like you to meet me for drinks-" He looked down at a watch on his wrist. "In a hour." He looked back up at Tony. 

Tony chewed on his lip for a moment, looking at the spiral staircase that led up to their apartment, and he could faintly hear his father talking to his mother. 

"Ok." He agreed, training his eyes on Bucky again. "But you must go this moment or you get caught." He laughed and Bucky grinned fondly as he raised his hands in surrender and disappeared out the door again.

He laid his chin in his palm for a moment and thought about what he was doing, he truly, truly did. Was he really about to start a some kind of love affair with a American soldier? He wrinkled his nose as he realized that it sounded like the plot to a bad romance novel he had seen. 

He turned his head and looked at the door that Bucky had just left through. 

Maybe it was time that he began his own story. 

••••••

He quickly finished all his chores in the shop quickly, and his father grumpily let his son go with his wife glaring at him from the stairs.

"Grazie, papà!" He called and took off out the door in a quick run before his father could think of anymore chores for him to do.   
He turned the corner that the bar was on and began to walk as the shop disappeared from his view. 

The bar came in view and a smile easily slid onto his face as he walked alittle faster. 

It just as easily slid off as he saw what was waiting for him. 

Bucky was leaning against the side of the bar and he had some brunette leaning against him as she rubbed herself against him. 

Bucky raised his eyes and met his brown ones from across the road, and like that, she was gone as he pushed her off.

But it was to late. 

Tony turned on his heels and began marching back home. He could hear Bucky's feet hitting on pavement and he kept calling his name but Tony didn't slow down.   
"Come on, Tones." Bucky called out in frustration, and Tony swung around and landed a sharp crack against Bucky's cheek as he snarled viciously at him. 

Bucky took a step back and was suddenly unsure which was scarier, a mad Tony or Hitler himself.  
Fottiti, Bucky Barnes!" [Fuck you, Bucky Barnes.] "Your a ass, were you just trying to lead me on, did you even care about me?" He cried, feeling tears drip from his eyes. Shit. 

He tried to land another crack on his cheek, but Bucky caught both his wrist in time and he tried to pull against Bucky's strength but found that it was nearly impossible. 

"I do care about you, Tony, I was just being stupid, your the only one I care about." He said softly and Tony sagged him his arms, looking up to meet his eyes. 

"Prove it." He mouthed and Bucky grinned and without a second thought pressed their lips together in another kiss that blew the one the night before out of the water. 

Bucky let his hands go and he placed them on Bucky's cheek, shame coursing through his body as Bucky winced at the pain in his cheek. 

They both pulled away after a few minutes for air and Bucky began pressing kisses all over his face, moving down to his neck. 

"What are we even doing together?" Tony asked, breathless at the feeling of Bucky's lips on his skin. 

He pulled away from Tony's skin for a minute, and their was a short silence. 

"Feeling."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter may seem small to you guys, but I'm telling you all that they are all leading to a bigger story and maybe even a ssequel. ;) Give me your thoughts on this chapter in the comments! Thank you!


	5. 5.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know. it's been awhile and this chapter is probably terrible but it just kept going like this so i hope you guys like it. happy 4th to my American readers or to anyone else that celebrates.

As Tony spent more time with Bucky, the months that went by and seemed to blend together in one long period of time that Tony just seemed to float through, carelessly and foolishly. 

The air around him had just began to turn crisp as he strolled down the deserted streets of his village towards the spot that he almost always met with Bucky at. By the rocks that overlooked the ocean. 

The wind that blew around him chilled his rib cage and he pulled his wool jacket a little closer to his thin body. The walk was never short but he endured it for what always met him on the other side. 

He finally saw his destination and when he got there he stared out at the dark shoreline. The wind was loud in his ears as it chilled him and the waves were wild as he watched them come crashing towards land. He stared out at the sight for a moment before looking around for what he had come for. 

Bucky was only a couple of yards away, his dark hair that he had to get cut at least once a month whipped around in the wind as he also seemed to be staring out at the ocean, his pale eyes were distant as he continued to stare out, unaware of Tony's attention. 

Tony finally called out to the other man and began to walk towards him. Bucky turned to look at him and flashed him a brittle smile. The affects of war had begun to get to him, Tony understood. He was the one that listened to Tony as he read him the newspaper stories of what was happening in England and Germany and France that had always been printed in Italian. A part of him wanted to stay in Tony's small village to be with the man he loved for as long as he could but another part of him that had signed up for war wanted to be out fighting, winning the war with the rest of his men, not stay in a small village, protecting ungrateful people that didn't even want his protection from bombings that they could never stop themselves. 

"My love." He cooed and heat began to pull into the bottom of Tony's stomach as Bucky pulled him so close until only their chests were touching and Tony couldn't feel the cold anymore, only his hot skin, as they wrapped their arms around each other. 

"My, how I love you." He whispered into his neck and Tony wrapped his arms around his neck. 

"How are you, my James?" He whispered into his ear and it was gone, like a spell had just been broken. Bucky blinked and stared at him for a moment, wondering if he should speak. 

"I must tell you something." He said softly, running his fingers through the hair on the back of Tony's heat. Tony stiffened and looked at him. 

"They are shipping me to Germany to fight." He whispered quickly as if that would make it disappear and Tony wanted to pull away and stare at him but he kept still. 

"Is this your goodbye?" He asked, afraid if he spoke over a whisper that his voice would crack. 

"I could never say goodbye to you, darling." He said firmly, taking Tony's face in his hands. "We will see each other soon enough, then think of the fun we will have when their isn't a war over our heads." He tries to joke with a weak smile but it falls flat.   
Tony's lips tremble as he tries to keep it in and he doesn't tell him that he loves him, and he chokes down on the feeling as he trembles in his lover's arms, he knows that Bucky could never leave him behind if he tells that to him and he won't do that to him, he's not that selfish. 

"I will miss you so." He says instead and Bucky laughs wetly.

"I will miss you more then words could describe." He says and Tony smiles at him to show him he's OK. 

"I will write you, all the time, you will write back, yes?" Bucky asks and Tony nods at him. 

"You kill that Nazi Hitler for me?" He asked hopefully and Bucky laughs at his expression. 

"Yes darling, you have spent far to much time with me, it will do good for our relationship if we spend time apart." He says as a joke and Tony cracks a smile. 

He watches as he walks away from him and smiles at him once as he turns to wave at him before he disappears around the corner. Suddenly Tony is hit with the crushing reality that that might be the last time he ever sees Bucky if he dies on some battlefield. 

He sits on the ground and finally lets the tears fall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Terrible, huh? I would love you if you commented even though you probably hate me for taking so long to update, but i was really caught up with my other story. 
> 
> This chapter may seem like the story is over, but no worries, it is far from over. 
> 
> How's everyone's 4th going? I burned half of my right and and 3 or my fingers have blisters all over them and its all bandaged up. So im typing with my left hand. Good thing im left handed.


End file.
